GAYOT's Blog

by Sophie Gayot

This weekend, I was going through my pile of cookbooks, and I am glad I did. I found The Bikini Chef Susan Irby‘s fourth cookbook, Substitute Yourself Skinny, which I use when I want to eat tasty but healthy foods at home. Lots of effort went into the creation of this 175-recipe book. The entire Irby family was involved: her mother helped her test each recipe, while her husband and daughter lost the use of the kitchen when photos were taken!

Continue reading “Cut the Calories but Not the Taste” »

by Sophie Gayot

Among the many things über-chef Wolfgang Puck likes, there is coffee. His passion for the black drink led him to create a line of cold brewed iced coffees in 2009 with pastry chef Sherry Yard and Craig Lieberman, president of Woodway Beverage Partners.

The trio has developed four flavors: Vanilla Fusion, Double Blend Mocha, Crème Caramel and Café au Lait. Made with certified organic ingredients, they are prepared using a cold-brewing process that reduces the tannins and the bitter taste often found in hot-brewed drinks. The results are delicate flavors at only 120 calories for an 8.5-ounce bottle, while other brands are around 250. Watch my exclusive video with Wolfgang Puck talking about the drinks.

Continue reading “Wolfgang Puck Iced Coffee” »

by Meryl Pearlstein

New York City’s East Village has a large college student population, many of whom enjoy cheap eats and sweets. The local dessert bars that they frequent are open to all. Streets like St. Mark’s, a holdover from punk days and still going strong, are lined with restaurants where one can have a complete, belly-patting meal for ten dollars (give or take a little). After a nice savory meal, comes the best part: dessert. The dessert bars of the East Village are the hidden secrets of the area.

Just behind Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Momofuku Milk Bar East is the dessert shop of the famous Momofuku chain (there’s also one midtown west). The Milk Bar’s trademark dessert, the Cereal Milk soft serve ice cream, offers a new twist to an old favorite — cereal in milk. The soft serve is sweet and a little salty, but completely true to its name; it tastes like Frosted Flakes and milk. In addition, Momofuku Milk Bar serves sugar-saturated treats like the Compost Cookie (my personal favorite), which is a conglomeration of ingredients such as potato chips, pretzels, chocolate chips, and more savory and sweet “things.” The Crack Pie is a sugar-coma-inducing, melt-in-your-mouth pie. If you crave sugar and sweets, this is your nirvana.

Continue reading “Buying Crack (Pie) in the East Village” »

by Sophie Gayot

If you are not invited, there are only a few more days to get ready to enjoy the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton from the comfort of your own home. In order to get you all set up for watching the April 29th ceremony, Kristen Olson, assistant food editor at Betty Crocker, shares some tips in my exclusive video interview with her.

Continue reading “For the Royal Day” »

President Barack Obama

by Jeff Hoyt

Is President Obama reading GAYOT.com? We certainly hope so. We named mk one of our top 10 Chicago Special Occasion Restaurants, and the President has decided to host a special occasion there tonight. The site of his fundraiser is also on our top 10 Chicago American restaurant list, which is important as he is already wooing voters for the 2012 Presidential election. It is also on our top 10 Chicago Romantic restaurant list, so we hope Michelle will be there!

Dinner will be a little pricier than usual tonight: a reported $35,800 a head. For that kind of donation, we’d expect to be named Ambassador to a Caribbean island nation. Here’s what’s on the menu that features only sustainably produced American food and wine:

Continue reading “Obama’s Dinner: A lot of Bread” »

by André Gayot

The book started as a gift, both to the audacious people who dared purchase an automobile in the early twentieth century, and to their indispensable companions, garage mechanics. Its purpose was to help those brave drivers find a tasty destination for lunch as well as a garage that could repair their new machines, and perhaps change the tires, since selling tires was and still is the main goal of the Michelin Company, and a lucrative one at that.

 

Continue reading “What Made Michelin Red?” »

by Tiffany Maleshefski

Since it first opened its doors on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Epic Roasthouse has hosted one of the city’s BEST happy hours. For three and a half generous hours, the restaurant’s upstairs lounge, Quiver Bar, slings $5 cocktails, $5 wines by the glass, and $3 beers. And did we mention the unobstructed views of the San Francisco Bay and the sweet selection of snacks for $3? It’s awesome and usually draws a wide range of people, many of whom consider the full-service restaurant below to be way out of their price range.

Well, that coveted happy hour just got even better.

For starters, there’s a revamped cocktail menu. All-star bartender Camber Lay, who was responsible for getting Epic’s popular happy hour off the ground, parted ways with Epic late last year. Now, the collective bar staff is pitching in to keep the cocktail menu lively and updated.

Continue reading “Epic Happy Hour Deals” »

by Meryl Pearlstein 

The Irish have had their turn to celebrate this month, and now it’s time for the Belgians. Celebrate the new A Taste of Belgium Restaurant Week with Belgian goodies and beer and a chance for a free vacation. From March 23-30, authentic Belgian dishes and specials will be offered at the following restaurants: 

B. Café East  

An authentic Belgian café, B. Café East serves up favorites like moules frites, cooked six different ways, and an exceptional variety of cocktails and brews. During this special week they will feature boulets liégeoise with sauce chasseur with Belgian fries, salad and applesauce. In addition, diners will have a choice of Palm or Stella Artois, perfectly poured, to accent the distinct flavors sampled in this menu. 

Continue reading “From Belgium to the Big Apple” »

by André Gayot

Remember the riddle about the ideal world in which the Italians would be in charge of singing opera, the British would prepare the tea, the Chinese would fry the rice, the French would do the cooking and serve the wine, the Germans would build sturdy cars and be police, etc. That’s the image of the world that we were so comfortable with thanks to the well-worn clichés. Something must have gone wrong: it’s hard today to recognize these established values in the same spots.

Continue reading “Of Cars and Pans: Culture Shock at the Assembly Line” »

by Jeff Hoyt

Lovers, unite! With Valentine’s Day falling on a Monday this year, you have many choices of dates to celebrate with your significant other. Enjoy a romantic meal and gift-giving this Friday, Saturday, Sunday or the Monday itself. Or, wait until the following Friday and take your partner away for a three-day weekend if you have President’s Day off.

GAYOT.com offers both the best Valentine’s Day restaurants and the most romantic restaurants. We’ve even got the top 10 romantic restaurants and the top 10 places to kiss in the country, as well as the sexiest restaurants in certain cities. If you want to do it yourself, we feature a selection of romantic cookbook reviews, and your meal can be accompanied by one of our top 10 Valentine’s Day wines or top 10 romantic wines. Or, you can try one of our fine chocolates or aphrodisiacs!

Don’t forget our romantic spas, romantic hotels, and sexy hotels near you. We’ve even got the top 10 Valentine’s Day gifts, but we also recommend a couples massage. That way you’re getting as well as giving!

May you enjoy a LOVE-ly holiday.

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